It is sometimes necessary to validate an operational definition while in operation on a single operational server using the same data that is used in the actual operation. In such a case, an administrator carefully performs validation by changing an output destination so as to prevent data processed by the actual operation from being updated or deleted by validation data processed by the validation, and inserting a pause (sleep) between validation process steps to thereby prevent an increase in CPU utilization such that the validation operation does not disturb the actual operation.
Further, as a technique for validating the operation of various kinds of apparatuses, such as a computer and a server apparatus, there has been proposed a technique that virtually performs operational validation using a program which simulates the operation of a target apparatus. For example, there has been proposed a software testing apparatus that includes an execution unit which executes the above-mentioned program and a setting unit which sets conditions for the execution unit, and performs virtual testing by comparing expected values determined from the set conditions with output values from the execution unit (see e.g. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2001-51875).
In a case where the same operational definition as that for the actual operation is validated on one operational server while in operation, the operational server is controlled such that the CPU utilization is not increased, which causes a problem that it takes a long time to process the validation data. Further, since the output destination of the validation data is changed, it is impossible to check an operation when the actual output data is output to the output destination thereof. Further, to virtually perform the operational validation, definitions need to be prepared for the virtual validation purposes. Further, there is a problem that it is impossible to check an operation when the actual output data is output to the output destination thereof.